Sustaining and steering surface for aircraft



Dec. 8,1925. 1,565,153 i J. HUBERT USTAINING AND STEERING SURFACE FOR AIRCRAFT Filed July 10. 1922 g fa Patented Dec. 8, 1925.

JEAN HUBER/1, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

SUSTAINING AND STEERING SURFACE FOR AIRCRAFT.

Application filed July'10, 1922. Serial No. 573,994.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEAN HUInin'r, citizen of the French Republic, residing at- Paris, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sustaining and Steering Surfaces for Aircraft, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to sustaining-and steering-planes for air-craft.

It has for its purpose, primarily to provide such planes which shall be more resistant to the stresses imposed upon them and more easily assembled than those heretofore used.

The invention consists, chiefly, in constructing the plane of a number of elongated cells or cell-like members which are continuous in the direct on of the spread of the plane, the plane being essentially con stituted by these cells, and those cells which constitute the extrados and the intrados of the plane, having walls whose thicknesses vary according to the position of these cells relatively to the outline of the plane, the various cells constituting the plane being fastened together by rivets or bolts which extend in directions perpendicular to the plane of flexure of the sustaining 0r steering plane.

With these and other objects in view, the

invention consists in certain improvcn'ients and combinations and arrangementof parts, all as will be hereinafter described the fea' tures of novelty being pointed out particularly in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the accompanyin drawings Figure 1 represents iagrammatically, and in section on a plane perpendicular to the direction of spread thereof, a sustainingplane for aeroplanes constructed in accordance with the invention and Figure 2 shows, a similar and somewhat modified form of sustaining plane embodying the present invention.

In constructing supporting planes for aeroplanes substantially as herein shown, it is preferable to employ a material which is ,both resistant to strains and is light in weight, metals such for instance, as aluminium, or its alloys, such as duralumin being particularly suitable.

The sustaining-planes, as shown, are each .niade up of a suitable number of cells such as a, a a a a, formed of metalsheets of appropriate width, and of a length equal to the breadth of spread of the plane, the cells having such outline-s that, when they are appropriately assembled they determine, by their external faces the outline to be given to the surfaces of the plane, they produce preferably a plane the flight-edge and the lateral edges of which terminate in points. I

The cell a which constitutes the attaching edge of the plane is made, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, of a single metal-sheet formed intoan elongated cell and against a next cell a by means of rivets which pass through the abutting longitudinal sides or walls of these cells. The remainder of the cells, a a which are to make up the plane are successively assembled and rive-ted or secured together with their longitudinal sides in abutting relation in the same manner, care having been taken to give the. metal-sheets composing the cells thicknesses which vary according to their position with respect to the outline of the sustaining-plane.

The ends of the metal-sheets, constituting the flight-edge, are fastened together by a row of rivets b, and the ends of the metalsheets constituting the lateral edges (not shown) of the. sustaining-plane may be similarly fastened together.

By constructing the planted cells in substantially the manner above described. each cell is able to sustain its share of the flexing strains imposed on the plane. 7

Instead of constructing the sustaining plane as shown in Fig. 1, that is, of cells with solid walls on all sides, it may be construoted as shown substantially in Fig. 2 wherein similar cells are used having solid walls on three sides thereof, the middle-portion of the fourth longitudinal side or wall of the cell being omitted or cut away leaving downwardly and upwardly extending flanges or edges at its side, as shown, the cells longitudinal side of this-cell is fastened the being assembled in the manner substantially It results from the present invention that, if the constituent cells or elements of the plane are properly constructed and assembled, a sustaining plane for aeroplanes is obtained which is much preferable to those which comprise a covering upon a framework and which under exposure to vibrations are liable to become detached from the framework. Moreover, such plane or wing coverings contributed only a small extent to the strength of the plane. The present invention, however, provides a plane the construction and assembling of which is easy and the assembled structure constitutes a real wing-shaped beam of uniform resistance to flexing strains, and which, for these reasons, fulfilled satisfactorily the purpose aimed at. Furthermore a plane constructed according to this invention offers minimum resistance to its forward movement, it presenting, in fact, as projecting parts only the heads of the rivets which fasten. its lateraland flight-edges, and it may be made smooth over its entire surface by closing the crevices at the joints between the cells, as, for example, by solder, and then enamelling the whole surface.

It is to be understood that the invention is in nomanner restricted to the preeach cell extending in the direction of the lateral spread of the plane, and each cell constituting a support of a flexing strength relation with adjacent cells, and fastening devices located at points removed from the surfaces of the plane and extending in a direction transversely of the length of the cells to secure the latter together.

3. A sustaining or steering plane for aircraft comprising a plurality of elongated cells assembled side-by-side and presenting opposite sides which form the surfaces of the planecand other opposite sides which abut against adjacent cells, and securing devices extending through the abutting sides of adjacent cells in a direction transversely of the length thereof and at points removed from the surfaces of the plane.

4. A sustaining or steering plane for aircraft comprising a plurality of elongated cells assembled side-byside and presenting opposite sides which form the surfaces of the plane and other opposite sides which abut against adjacent cells, one of the latter sides presenting flanges which are directed toward one another to contact with the side of the adjacent cell, and securing devices extending through the abutting sides of adjacent cells in a direction transversely of the length thereof and at points removed from the surfaces of the plane.

In testimony, whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JEAN HUB-ERT. 

